Luminescent planar sheet

ABSTRACT

A luminescent planar sheet is constructed to provide illuminated alphanumeric characters particularly suitable for mounting upon the planar surfaces of a vehicle. Preferably the luminescent planar sheet can produce visible light, infrared light, or both. A switching system is connected to the luminescent planar panels for selectively controlling power to produce visible light and/or infrared light. The luminescent planar sheet includes a protective coating which permits the passage of both visible light and infrared light, but substantially blocks most or all ultraviolet light.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/512,171 filed on Oct. 10, 2014, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/070,925 filed on Nov. 4, 2013, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/385,697 filed on Mar. 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,263issued Nov. 19, 2013, which in turn is a continuation-in-partapplication of co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/464,515filed on Mar. 4, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to indicia that can be affixed on top ofthe horizontal planar 10 surfaces of emergency response vehicles such asfire department vehicles, police cars and ambulances to providevisibility from above.

Most conventional emergency response vehicles provide audible alertwarnings and visual alert warnings such as sequenced flashing of head,tail and side light assemblies, or a roof mounted light bar containingat least one light source designed to disburse light in 360 degrees.

These lights may be solid, stroboscopic, revolving, flashing, modulated,pulsing, oscillating, alternating, or any combination thereof. Thus,these light systems are designed primarily for viewing from the front,rear, or side of emergency response vehicles.

While in most situations, any of the aforementioned devices wouldsuffice in alerting a passerby of the presence of the emergency responsevehicle, there are crucial situations in which greater visibility isrequired. For example, in the case of vehicular pursuits, helicopterunits are often called for service to help ground units observe andtrack pursuits as well as ensure public safety while in pursuit.Helicopters provide valuable service to law enforcement in general and,more particularly, to the pursuit function. Helicopter units can assistground units as a platform from which to observe, track and illuminatepeople or places on the ground. Moreover, the helicopter units serve asbackup to ground units, and the helicopter flight crews can provide aperspective that cannot be achieved on the ground. Further, they cancommunicate with ground units and provide information to direct themtoward an intended position or away from a dangerous one. In addition,the helicopter units can provide crucial information, such as reportingwhether or not suspects are carrying weapons, etc.

There is a need for a system to assist helicopter units indistinguishing ground units and their positioning. Currently, manypolice vehicles already have numerals illustrated on top of their roofs.These numerals are used to differentiate a police vehicle from othervehicles and to help identify the police district, the unit, and theindividual. However, typically, these numerals are in plain black textand are not illuminated. Therefore, when there is little or no light, itcan be difficult to distinguish the numbers on top of a police vehicle.

Moreover, even if vehicles were provided with illuminated indicia, it isdifficult to maintain consistent illumination as letters and numbershave different surface areas, and thus would have different powerrequirements to provide consistent illumination.

Therefore, there is a need for better identification of emergencyresponse vehicles for being seen from above.

Furthermore, there is a need for improved power and switching systems toprovide 5 consistent illumination to illuminated indicia upon emergencyresponse vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an illuminating alphanumericlighting system for 10 emergency response vehicles that is able toenhance the visibility of emergency response vehicles to those in theair, such as in helicopters.

The illuminated lighting system provides indicia, in the form ofilluminated letters or numerals, on the top of the substantially planarsurfaces of emergency response vehicles, such as upon the vehicle hoods,cabins and trunks. The size of the indicia may vary depending upon thepurpose of the lighting system, and the size of the horizontal surfaceupon which the indicia is placed. However, preferred letters andnumerals have a length greater than one (1) foot and a width greaterthan one-half (112) foot. More preferably, the letters and numbers havea length of one (1) to five (5) feet and a width of one-half (112) footto two (2) feet. Still more preferred, the letters and numbers have alength of approximately two (2) feet and a width of one (1) foot.

To provide illumination to the illuminated numerals, power is providedfrom the vehicle's electrical systems, such as from the vehicle'sbattery and alternator. The electrical wiring and switching system forthe luminescent panels would be readily understood by those skilled inthe art and need not be described in detail herein.

The luminescent numerals and letters may be constructed in variousmanners. As a first example, the luminescent letters and numbers may bemade using a light pipe, also known as a light guide, connected to anindependent light source. The light source may be any of variousavailable lighting constructions known in the art. For example, thelight source may comprise one or more incandescent light bulbs, lightemitting diodes, light emitting crystals, etc. Moreover, the lightsource may produce light which can be selectively varied in color so asto enable the operator to alter the color of the luminescence. Forexample, the light source may comprise a plurality of diodes with eachdiode producing different colored light. Selective activation anddeactivation of the diodes alone or in combination will produceillumination in different colors.

The light guide may be constructed in various shapes and of variousmaterials such as of lengths of acrylic plastic, polycarbonate, or glassto form the desired letters or numerals for display from the top of avehicle. Alternatively, the light pipe may be constructed of one or morefiber optic fibers or cables. The light pipes may also be constructed ofone or more different translucent and fluorescent colored materials forprojecting light of one or more colors. An acceptable colored materialincludes “scintillating plastic” which is typically an acrylic plasticincorporating different colored fluorescent dyes. Preferably, the lightguide includes a reflecting bottom layer for directing light upwardly soas to be seen from above.

Where the light guide incorporates fiber optic cables, the fiber opticcables are also constructed to project light laterally from theircylindrical exterior as opposed to predominantly from their distalextremities. This can be accomplished by notching, knurling, scratchingor in other manners creating flaws in the otherwise smooth exteriorcylindrical surface of the fiber optic cable. These flaws have beenfound to interrupt the transmission of light along the length of thefiber optic cable and to transmit light laterally from the exteriorsurface of the fiber optic cable, typically opposite the side which hasbeen flawed.

In an additional preferred embodiment of the present invention, theluminescent letters and numbers are constructed of substantially planarelectroluminescent (EL) panels. A first EL construction is described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,045,755 issued to Appelberg and assigned to ELiteTechnologies, Inc. which is incorporated herein by reference. Theilluminating sheet is a split electrode or parallel plate lampconsisting of a main body sandwiched between first and second conductivelayers. Application of an alternating current to the planar sheetprovides a luminescent sheet which is formed in the shape of numeralsand letters.

An additional preferred electroluminescent panel for producing theluminescent letters and numbers can be obtained from MKS, Inc. locatedin Bridgeton, N.J., USA under the trademark designation Quantaflex™. TheQuantaflex™ material is an electroluminescent lamp including luminescentphosphors embedded in the dielectric medium of a capacitor constructedin the form of a sheet. Electrodes, including at least one translucentelectrode, form the top and bottom layers of the Quantaflex™ material.Upon application of an alternating current to the electrodes, thephosphors give off photons producing light in the visible spectrum. Anadvantage of the Quantaflex™ material is that the phosphors can beselectively encapsulated between the electrode layers of the luminescentsheet so as to selectively produce patterns of light emitted from theluminescent sheet.

In still additional preferred embodiments, the luminescent numbers andletters are constructed of one of the rapidly developing technologiesdirected to Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLED), Transparent OrganicLight Emitting Devices (TOLED), or Flexible Organic Light EmittingDevices (FOLED). Descriptions of these technologies are available tothose skilled in the art and need not be described in further detailherein.

In still an additional embodiment illustrated, the luminescent lettersand numerals are provided by a panel including dozens or hundreds ofrows and columns of LEDs or the like which can be selectably illuminatedto form a desired indicia. For this embodiment, it is preferred that theLEDs are connected by wires to a controllable switching system, which inturn is connected to a computer processor or the like. The computerprocessor, in turn, includes an input device such as a keyboard orcontrol panel to allow controlled independent illumination of selectedLEDs to form the desired indicia. Though more expensive and requiringmore complicated wiring and processing capabilities to selectappropriate illumination to display desired characters, this embodimentallows for the indicia to be rapidly changed as desired. In anembodiment, these LEDs may produce only infrared light not visible tothe human eye and thus only visible through night vision goggles. Thisalternative method is advantageous when light is not desirable whichmight alert criminals that police are approaching.

Preferably, the planar luminescent panels in the form of letters andnumbers are protected by a protective coating in the form of a laminatesheet. Because the preferred luminescent letters and numerals producelight in both infrared and visible light spectrums, it is preferred thatthe protective coating allow most of these spectrums of light to pass.However, it is preferred that the protective coating block ultravioletlight which can be harmful to the various electronics such as LEDs orelectroluminescent panels. In a preferred embodiment, the protectivecoating blocks at least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers,but allows at least 80% of both visible and infrared light above 450nanometers. An even more preferred protective coating blocks at least90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85%of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers.

Preferably, a controller in the form of a switching system or computerprocessor is provided to allow operators to control the operation of theilluminated indicia. Even more preferably, the switching system canselectively strobe the illuminated indicia. In still an additionalembodiment, the switching system includes manual or automatic variableresistors for controlling the wattage provided to each illuminatedindicia so that the wattage may be varied between each illuminatedindicia.

Advantageously, the controller can selectively control the planar lightpanel to produce infrared light above 760 nanometers, while notproducing substantial visible light below 600 nanometers so as to besubstantially invisible to the human eye with the protective coatingallowing at least 80% transmission of the infrared light through theprotective coating. Still an additional advantage of then presentinvention is that the controller allows the planer light panel toproduce only visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers, orsimultaneously produce both visible light between 400 nanometers and 760nanometers and infrared light above 760 nanometers.

Advantageously, the luminescent numerals and letters may be adhereddirectly to the roof or top of an emergency response vehicle. However,in an alternative embodiment, a rectangular frame is provided foraffixing the luminescent panels to the top of the roof of emergencyresponse vehicles. In still an additional embodiment, a planar roofplate is provided which affixes to the vehicle manufacturer'spreexisting female threads formed into the roof of the vehicle which aretypically used for mounting a roof rack. Where the vehicle has acorrugated roof forming a plurality of troughs and ridges, preferablythe roof plate has a top surface that is substantially planar and abottom surface that includes a plurality of channels forming elongateteeth positioned and aligned to project into the vehicle's roofstroughs. The roof plate engages and is affixed to the vehicle roof withthe roof plate's teeth extending into the vehicle roof trough so as toprovide better aerodynamics and to provide better support for itemsmounted to the plate's upper surface. Indicia, antenna, or light barsmay be mounted to the roof plate's top surface.

Once mounted to the roof of a vehicle, the illuminated numerals andletters are easily visible to those in the air.

Thus, it is an additional object of the invention to provide a structurefor identifying emergency response vehicles from the air, such as bythose in planes and helicopters.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedvehicular external lighting system capable of operating with a lowcurrent draw and able to be simply integrated into an existing vehicle'selectrical system.

These and other and more specific objects and advantages of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an emergency response vehicle equippedwith illuminated indicia affixed on top of the roof;

FIG. 2 is a top-exploded view of a frame possessing luminescent panelsof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of thepresent invention possessing LED's;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top elevation view an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of anelectroluminescent panel;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of fourelectroluminescent 10 panels for identifying an emergency responsevehicle;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of fourelectroluminescent panels for identifying an emergency response vehicle;

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form ofthree luminescent panels connected to a controller for activating andcontrolling the amount of wattage provide to electroluminescent indiciaand for activating and controlling the amount of wattage provided toinfrared/thermal indicia;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form ofthree luminescent panels and a radio frequency antennae affixed to aplanar plate constructed to be mounted to upon the corrugated roof of avehicle;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of threeluminescent panels affixed to a planar plate which in-turn is mounted toupon the corrugated roof of a vehicle, and illustrating a controller foractivating and controlling the amount of wattage provide toelectroluminescent indicia and for activating and controlling the amountof wattage provided to infrared/thermal indicia;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate,vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activatedand adjusted the wattage provided to the electroluminescent indicia;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate,vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activatedand adjusted the wattage provided to the infrared/thermal indicia;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate,vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activatedand adjusted the wattage provided to the infrared/thermal indicia, andthe controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided to theelectroluminescent indicia;

FIG. 17 is a simplified electrical diagram illustrating the switchingsystem including 20 adjustable variable resistors to adjust the wattageprovided to each infrared/thermal indicia and to each electroluminescentindicia;

FIG. 18 is a top, right, rear perspective view a second embodiment ofthe vehicular roof plate;

FIG. 19 is a bottom, left, rear perspective view of the secondembodiment of the vehicle 5 roof plate;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicle roofplate;

FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicleroof plate;

FIG. 22 is a top perspective view illustrating the second embodiment ofthe vehicular roof plate supporting emergency response vehicleidentification character and affixed to the corrugated roof of avehicle;

FIG. 23 is a top, right, rear perspective view a third embodiment of thevehicular roof plate;

FIG. 24 is a top, left, front perspective view of the third embodimentof the vehicle roof plate;

FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicle roofplate;

FIG. 26 is a bottom plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicleroof plate; and

FIG. 27 is a top perspective view illustrating the third embodiment ofthe vehicular roof plate supporting emergency response vehicleidentification character and affixed to the corrugated roof of avehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, as shown in the drawings, hereinafter will be described thepresently preferred embodiment of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe invention, and it is not intended to limit the invention to thespecific embodiments illustrated.

With reference to FIGS. 1-17, the present invention is a vehicularilluminated sign 1. The vehicular illuminated sign comprises two primarycomponents including the vehicle 3 and luminescent planar sheet 7. Theterms “vehicle” and “luminescent planar sheet” are to be interpretedbroadly as to encompass a wide variety of embodiments as would beunderstood by those skilled in the art. For example, the vehicle 3 isany wheeled vehicle for travel upon the roads and highway of thiscountry including automobiles, trucks, vans, etc. The present inventionis intended primarily for emergency response vehicles. However, theinvention may have application for identifying trucking fleets and thelike. Each of these vehicles have substantially horizontal planarsurfaces 5, such as the hood, cabin top, and trunk illustrated in FIGS.6 and 7.

The luminescent planar sheet 7 of the present invention is mounted uponone or more of the vehicle's horizontal planar surfaces 5. Theluminescent planar sheet 7 is mounted substantially horizontally so asto display indicia 9 upwardly. The indicia 9 is in the form of one ormore alpha-numeric characters having a length (commonly referred to as aheight) and a width. The alpha-numeric characters are provided toidentify a vehicle, and thus are preferably unique to that vehicle. Thealpha-numeric characters may have any height or width as necessary so asto identify the vehicle from the air. However, the alpha-numericcharacters preferably have a length greater than 1 ft. and a widthgreater than 1-0.5 ft. Still more preferably, each of these numbers orletters forming the indicia has a length of approximately 2 ft. and awidth of 1 ft.

The luminescent planar sheets may be constructed to produce light invarious colors, and may switch between different colors. In still anadditional embodiment of the present invention, the luminescent planarsheet may be constructed to produce light which is primarily invisibleto the human eye such as in the infrared spectrum. The term “primarilyinvisible to the human eye” is intended to be interpreted broadlybecause traditional light sources producing light in the infraredspectrum, including heat producing systems, will often produce a minimalamount of light in the visible spectrum. However, as understood by thoseskilled in the art, such infrared/thermal light sources are highlyvisible when wearing night vision goggles or the like.

The luminescent planar sheet is connected to a power system mountedwithin the vehicle. The power system may be in the form of a batteryseparate from the vehicle's traditional battery mounted under the hood.However, preferably the illuminated vehicular sign utilizes the powersystem already provided in a vehicle including the battery andalternator. To control the power to the luminescent planar sheet 7,preferably one or more switches are positioned within the vehicle'scabin so as to control the on or off illumination of the sign. Further,switches may be provided to control the brightness of the illuminationand/or color being illuminated. For example, the signage may changecolors so as to indicate different events. For example, the luminescentplanar sheet may be made to illuminate red in the event of an emergency.Alternatively, the luminescent planar sheet may be made to strobe in theevent of an emergency. Switching systems for providing these featurescan be easily deduced by those skilled in the art and are not describedfurther herein.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-10, the luminescent planar sheet may beconstructed in various manners. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in afirst embodiment, the luminescent planar sheet comprises a light pipe 17and an independent light source in the form of florescent bulbs. Thelight pipe may be made to create opaque alpha-numeric characters withluminescence borders around the alpha-numeric characters. Alternatively,the luminescent planar sheet may be made to create luminescentalpha-numeric characters and an opaque border so as to identify suchcharacters. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the luminescent planarsheet may comprise a plurality of LEDs forming the light source which isagain covered by a light pipe 17. Again, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and7, the indicia may be made to illuminate with an opaque border.Alternatively, the illuminated planar sheet may be made to have opaqueindicia with an illuminated border. Where LEDs are employed, theswitches controlling activation of the LEDs may be controlled by acomputer processor as to form different indicia as desired.

In still an additional embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, theluminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed in the form of one or moreelectroluminescent (EL) panel lamps. The electroluminescent panels maybe constructed in various forms such as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,045,755. Alternatively, the electroluminescent panels may beconstructed of organic light emitting diodes or devices (OLED),transparent organic light emitting devices (TOLED), or flexible organiclight emitting devices (FOLED).

Advantageously, where the luminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed inthe form of an EL panel 9, the EL panel can be adhered directly to oneof the vehicle's horizontal planar surface 5. Conversely, where theluminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed to include LEDs or lightbulbs, the luminescent planar sheet 7 will typically require a frame 15for holding the light source, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, preferably any wires for supplying power to theluminescent planar sheet can be routed to a vehicle's existing light bar27.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, in the currently preferred constructionof the vehicular lighting system, each luminescent indicia 9 isconstructed to include a central electroluminescent portion powered by afirst electrical circuit and a thermal/infrared portion 42 powered by asecond electrical circuit. Preferably, the thermal/infrared portion issimply a highly resistant material, such as a silver or copper alloy, inthe form of the indicia. As illustrated, the silver material 42 may beprinted to form an elongate circuit upon the substrate material adjacentto the illuminated portion of the electroluminescent portion. Inoperation, a voltage is applied to the resistant material 42 causing thethermal/infrared portion to be heated to form thermal/infrared indicia.

A preferred illuminated vehicle sign of the present invention utilizeselectroluminescent indicia operating at 14.4 volts and 800 Hz. Toprovide these power characteristics, preferably an inverter (not shown)converts the vehicle's DC 12 volts to a nominal 14.4 volts and 800 Hz.However, alphanumeric characters of the same font size have differentsurface areas. For example, preferred electroluminescent numbers havingthe same 20 inch height have the following respective surface areas:

Number Square Inches 0 117 1 68 2 110 3 98 4 107 5 113 6 110 7 78 8 1219 110

It has been discovered that providing each of numerals with the samewattage results in some numbers being brighter than others. Similarly,if the same wattage is provided to each thermal/infrared portion of theluminescent indicia, this will result in some indicia having a muchgreater temperature than other indicia or will result in alphanumericcharacters with lesser surface areas “burning” out quicker than others.Moreover, it is common to substitute the alphanumeric characters atopemergency response vehicles.

To overcome these problems, as illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, the switchingsystem 50 of the present invention includes adjustable variableresistors 64 and 74 which adjust the current, and accordingly, thewattage provided to the electroluminescent portion and/orthermal/infrared portion of the indicia to provide uniform luminescence.In one embodiment of the invention, the adjustable variable resistors 64and 74 are controlled automatically based upon automated determinationsof the size of each indicia. To this end, preferably the switchingsystem includes one or more resistance, current, voltage, or wattagesensors for measuring the resistance, current, voltage or wattage of theelectroluminescent portion and/or thermal/infrared portion of theluminescent planar sheets, and includes a controller for automaticallyadjusting the resistance of the adjustable variable resistors 64 and 74based upon measurements made by these sensors. The circuitry forproviding this automatic adjustment of the adjustable variable resistors64 and 74 can be determined by those skilled in the art without undueexperimentation.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS.11-17, the switching system 50 includes manually controlled variableresistors 64 and 74. Preferably, the switching system 50 includes on/offswitches 62 and 72 for activating and deactivating either theelectroluminescent portions and/or the thermal/infrared portions 42, andincludes manually rotatable switches 64 and 74 for varying theresistance, and thus wattage provided to the electroluminescent portionsand/or the thermal/infrared portions 42. Though illustrated in FIGS.11-17 as in one control box, it is preferred that the on/off switches 62and 72 be located within the vehicle cabin so as to be easily accessibleto emergency response personnel, and it is preferred that the manuallyrotatable switches 64 and 74 be located so as to be accessible onlyduring installation of vehicular illuminated sign 1 so as to not beinadvertently altered after installation.

In still an additional embodiment, the luminescent panels include one ormore resistors (not shown) located within each of the luminescent panelsto provide uniform electrical characteristics across the spectrum ofdifferent alphanumeric characters. More specifically, for thisembodiment, the luminescent indicia are constructed to include resistorselectrically connected to the electroluminescent circuitry and/or thethermal/infrared circuitry so that alphanumeric characters of differentsurface areas can be swapped but still provide uniform luminescence.

With reference to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, preferably the top surfaces of theluminescent panels include a protective coating 41. Because theluminescent panels of the present invention preferably produce light inthe visible light spectrum and/or infrared spectrum, it is preferredthat the protective coating is substantially translucent within thesespectrums of light. However, it is preferred that the protective coatingblocks most or substantially all light in the ultraviolet (UV) lightspectrum.

The protective coating will provide protection against abrasion andvarious forms of environmental radiation. The protective coating maytake various forms. For example, the protective coating may beincorporated in the manufacturing process utilizing a spray coating.However, a laminate application is preferred. Where the luminescentpanel is an electroluminescent panel, it is preferred protective coatingforms the upper layer of the electroluminescent panel and is preferablya flexible plastic. Moreover, it is preferred that the protectivecoating blocks at least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers,and even more preferably blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below350 nanometers. Conversely, it is preferred that the protective coatingallow at least 80% transmission of visible infrared light above 450nanometers, and even more preferably allow at least 85% of visible andinfrared light above 500 nanometers. Acceptable protective coatingsproviding these characteristics include polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) films,polymethyl methacrylate films, Tedlar from Dupont, and Acrylar from 3MCompany.

Advantageously, the luminescent panels of the present inventioncontrolled by the control processor so as to illuminate in only thevisible spectrum of light, or in only the invisible infrared spectrum oflight, or simultaneously in both the visible and infrared lightspectrums. Furthermore, and advantageously, the protective coatingpermits the passage of most of the visible light and infrared lightproduced by the luminescent panel, while blocking most of theultraviolet light. Accordingly, the luminescent panel of the presentinvention is capable of producing visible light between 400 nanometersand 760 nanometers, or producing infrared light above 760 nanometerswhile not producing appreciable visible light below 760 nanometers, orproducing both visible light, and infrared light.

Currently, non-illuminated indicia are adhered directly to the roof andtrunk areas of emergency response vehicles. Unfortunately, some vehicleshave corrugated roofs which result in the alphanumeric characters beingwarped when adhered to such roofs and difficult to read from above, suchas by those in helicopters. As illustrated in FIGS. 11-28, theilluminated vehicle sign 1 of the present invention includes a planarplate 30 upon which the luminescent planar panels 9 are affixed. Theluminescent planar panels are affixed to the planar plate 30 usingadhesives or the like. To mount the planar plate 30 to the roof of thevehicle, preferably the vehicle is constructed to support a traditionalroof rack, and to this end, the vehicle also includes four or morethreaded bolt holes installed by the original manufacturer of thevehicle. If installed, the roof rack is removed. The planar plate 30includes side edge flanges 35 that extend downwardly to mount to thevehicle bolt holes. Bolts, or other threaded fasteners, are employed toaffix the planar plate 30 in place. Where the vehicle roof is corrugatedto form a plurality of longitudinal troughs, the bolt holes may belocated in such troughs. For this construction, the planar plate ispreferably constructed to include elongate flanges along its left andright edges that will project into the troughs where vehicle threadedbolt holes are located. The flanges include holes for receiving malefasteners which mount to the vehicle bolt holes.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18-27, in preferred embodiments, the roof plate30 is specifically constructed to engage and conform to the corrugatedfeatures of a vehicle roof Specifically, a vehicle's corrugated roof 4includes recessed troughs 38 formed by projecting ridges 39. The troughsand ridges extend longitudinally from the front to the back upon avehicle's roof and are provided to provide greater stiffness andsupport. For these embodiments, the planar plate's bottom surface is notwholly planar. Instead, the planar plate's bottom surface includes aplurality of “teeth” 37 sized for projecting into the vehicle roofstroughs 38. The plate teeth 37 form channels 36 for receiving a vehicleroofs ridges 39.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18-22, a vehicle's corrugated roof may berelatively uniform from front to back providing troughs and ridges whichextend longitudinally having the same width and depth where the roofplate 30 is intended to be mounted upon the vehicle roof 4. Accordingly,as illustrated in FIG. 19, for this embodiment the roof plate's channels36 and teeth 37 are of approximately the same size at the roof plate'sfront as at the roof plate's rear. The roof plate's channels 36 andteeth 37 may extend longitudinally the entire length of the roof platefrom front to back. Alternatively, as best illustrated in FIG. 19, theroof plate channels 36 and teeth 37 may be located only at the roofplate's front and rear edges so as to provide improved aerodynamics andsupport for the planar plate 30 upon the corrugated roof 4 of a vehicle3. However, not all vehicles have vehicle troughs and ridges whichextend with uniform width and depth. For example, as illustrated inFIGS. 23-27, the planar plate 30 may include an edge (illustrated as therear edge) which includes a bottom surface formed to include channels 36and teeth 37 for confirming with the corrugated roofs troughs 38 andridges 39. However, towards the opposite edge of the roof plate, thevehicle's roof may not be corrugated. Accordingly, the planar plate 30of this embodiment has an opposite edge (illustrated as the front edge)which does not include a plurality of teeth and channels.

The planar plate 30 may be constructed of various materials andmanufactured by various methods as can be determined by those skilled inthe art. For example, the planar plate illustrated in FIGS. 18-22 ispreferably made of a durable plastic such as polyethylene, polystyrene,or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene which is machine or molded. Analternative preferred roof plate illustrated in FIGS. 23-27 is made ofmetal such as steel, aluminum or titanium and is stamped to form theplate's channels 36 and teeth 37.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11-16, the planar plate is preferablyrectangular. However, the planar plate may incorporate subtle curves forimproved aerodynamics or aesthetics. Furthermore, as illustrated inFIGS. 18-27, the planar plate 30 may include a notch or hole 32 forpermitting the passage of a radio frequency antennae 34 typicallymounted upon the roofs 4 of emergency response vehicles 3. Furthermore,though not shown, a light bar 27 may also be mounted to the planar plate30 to reduce or eliminate holes drilled into the vehicle after leavingthe original manufacturer.

While several particular forms of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be apparent that various modifications can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited except bythe following claims.

I claim:
 1. An illuminated vehicular sign comprising: one or moreluminescent planar sheets constructed to provide luminescent indicia inthe infrared spectrum primarily invisible to the human eye; and a powersource for providing power to said one or more luminescent planarsheets.
 2. The illuminated vehicular sign of claim 1 wherein saidluminescent planar sheet includes a printed elongate circuit ofelectrically resistant material that produces infrared light uponapplication of an electric voltage to produce said luminescent indicia.3. The illuminated vehicular sign of claim 2 wherein said printedcircuit of electrically resistant material is silver alloy.
 4. Theilluminated vehicular sign of claim 2 wherein said printed circuit ofelectrically resistant material is copper alloy.
 5. A vehicle andilluminated vehicular sign combination comprising: a mobile vehiclehaving a substantially planar surface; one or more luminescent planarsheets mounted upon said vehicle planar surface, said one or moreluminescent planar sheets constructed to provide luminescent indicia inthe infrared spectrum primarily invisible to the human eye; and a powersource for providing power to said one or more luminescent planarsheets.
 6. The vehicle and illuminated vehicular sign combination ofclaim 5 wherein said luminescent planar sheet includes a printedelongate circuit of electrically resistant material that producesinfrared light upon application of an electric voltage to produce saidluminescent indicia.
 7. The vehicle and illuminated vehicular signcombination of claim 6 wherein said printed circuit of electricallyresistant material is silver alloy.
 8. The vehicle and illuminatedvehicular sign combination of claim 6 wherein said printed circuit ofelectrically resistant material is copper alloy.